Deep chlorophyll maxima and UVR acclimation by epilimnetic phytoplankton

1. It is well established that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) has many harmful effects on phytoplankton, but the factors controlling algal sensitivity to UVR are not fully understood. 2. We exposed phytoplankton communities from the epilimnia and deep chlorophyll maxima (DCM) of 2 Canadian lakes to 14 irradiance treatments of various spectral quality and monitored changes in the maximum quantum efficiency of Photosystem II photochemistry (F_v/F_m) using a pulse amplitude modulation fluorometer. 3. Phytoplankton from DCM did not show marked differences from epilimnetic communities in taxonomy or nutrient status, but exhibited substantially higher photosynthetic impairment under UVR exposure. 4. Our results suggest that epilimnetic phytoplankton acclimate to in situ light conditions in a spectrally‐specific manner, and that ultraviolet‐A radiation is a stronger stressor than ultraviolet‐B or photosynthetically active radiation in the mixed layers of our study lakes. Model estimates of damage and recovery rate constants revealed that the phytoplankton of the two lakes relied upon different strategies of UVR‐acclimation, in one lake minimising susceptibility to photodamage and in the other maximising recovery efficiency.     

Macrozooplankton and the persistence of the deep chlorophyll maximum in a stratified lake

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Light acclimation of Chlamydomonas acidophila accumulating in the hypolimnion of an acidic lake (pH 2.6)

1. The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas acidophila accumulates in a thin phytoplankton layer in the hypolimnion (deep chlorophyll maximum, DCM) of an extremely acidic lake (Lake 111, pH 2.6, Lusatia, Germany), in which the underwater light spectrum is distorted and red‐shifted. 2. Chlamydomonas acidophila exhibited a significantly higher absorption efficiency and a higher cellular chlorophyll b content when incubated in the red shifted underwater light of Lake 111 than in a typical, blue‐green dominated, light spectrum. 3. Chlamydomonas acidophila has excellent low light acclimation properties (increased chlorophyll b content, increased oxygen yield and a low light saturation point for photosynthesis) that support survival of the species in the low light climate of the DCM. 4. In situ acclimation to the DCM under low light and temperature decreased maximum photosynthetic rate in autotrophic C. acidophila cultures, whereas the presence of glucose under these conditions enhanced photosynthetic efficiency and capacity. 5. The adaptive abilities of C. acidophila to light and temperature shown in this study, in combination with the absence of potent competitors because of low lake pH, most probably enable the unusual dominance of the green alga in the DCM of Lake 111.     

Increase in photosynthetic efficiency as a strategy of planktonic organisms exploiting deep lake layers

1. The photosynthetic efficiencies of the mixotrophic ciliate Ophrydium naumanni and the autotrophic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium paradoxum were investigated using laboratory and field experiments in Lake Moreno Oeste (41°5′S and 71°33′W, 758 m a.s.l.), in the Nahuel Huapi System (North Patagonia, Argentina). 2. The effect of different underwater light intensities on net primary production (NPP) was assessed during one summer. Additionally, laboratory experiments were carried out to obtain photosynthesis‐irradiance response curves for each species. 3. Ophrydium naumanni and G. paradoxum dominated the metalimnetic (30 m depth) deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) in the lake. 4. Despite these deep higher abundances, the cell‐specific production of both species was higher at 10 m than at 30 m (DCM) depth. In addition, at 5 m depth, NPP was reduced by PAR + UV‐A radiation. 5. Both species exhibited a positive NPP at very low irradiance but the mixotrophic ciliate was more efficient in exploiting the DCM irradiance level both in situ and at comparable light intensities in laboratory experiments. Light acclimatised O. naumanni showed a higher NPP at lower irradiances and photoinhibition at medium and high irradiances. 6. Under the strong wind‐driven turbulence commonly found in Patagonian lakes, organisms cannot select their position in the epilimnetic water column and will be dragged to potentially harmful UV radiation levels. Thus, metalimnetic DCM colonisation by these two species represents a tradeoff between higher survival and lower cell‐specific NPP.     

The Formation and Dynamics of Deep Bacteriochlorophyll Maximum in the Temperate and Partly Meromictic Lake Verevi

Vertical distribution of phytoplankton and the formation of deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) in the metalimnion of a small stratified and partly meromictic temperate lake was studied in 1999 and 2000. During summer DCM usually occurred on the borderline of H₂S and oxygen-containing waters. At the depths where the bacteriochlorophyll (Bchl) maxima were observed, the sulphide concentration was usually relatively low compared to the bottom layers, where its concentration reached as high as possible saturation level. In April 2000, DCM was formed at the depth of 3.5 m, and lowered thereafter slowly to 6.5 m by October. The concentration of Bchl d reached the highest values (over 1000 μg l⁻¹) just before the water column was mixed up in autumn. In December and April Bchl d was detectable only near the bottom of the lake. The concentration of chlorophyll a yielded by the spectrophotometric phaeopigment corrected method and by HPLC (high pressure liquid chromatography), fit rather well in the upper layers. In deeper water layers chlorophyll a concentration (Chl a) measured by spectrophotometry was overestimated about 47 times if compared to HPLC values because of the high Bchl d in that layer. In most cases vertical profiles of primary production (PP) did not coincide with the vertical distribution of the pigment content; the maximum values of PP were found in the epilimnion. In some cases PP had notably high values also at the depth of DCM. In the upper layers Chl a usually did not exceeded 20 μg l⁻¹ in spring and 10 μg l⁻¹ in summer_. The moderately high Chl a in the epilimnion in spring was significantly reduced after the formation of thermocline most probably because of the establishment of the nutrient limitation in epilimnion. Decreasing Chl a concentration in the epilimnion led to increased water transparency and better light conditions for photosynthetic bacteria in metalimnion.     

Light climate and plankton in the deep chlorophyll maxima in North Patagonian Andean lakes

The light climate at the deep chlorophyll maxima (DCM) was analysedin a set of lakes of the North Patagonian Andean region. Apparentand inherent optical properties in relation to the chlorophylla vertical distribution were investigated in seven lakes includingdeep (Z_max > 90 m) and shallow (Z_max < 12 m) ones. Samplingwas carried out during the thermal stratification period (summer)of the deep lakes since in the shallower lakes no stable thermalstratification was detected. The large deep lakes presentedvery low diffuse attenuation coefficients of photosyntheticallyactive radiation (K_d PAR), and a DCM situated at 0.98–2%of surface PAR irradiance, coinciding with the maximum abundanceof the mixotrophic ciliate Ophrydium naumanni and autotrophicpicoplankton. Both fractions seemed to be favoured by dim lightconditions of particular wavelengths, since at these DCM layersmainly green and blue wavelengths prevailed (<600 nm). Incontrast, shallow lakes showed higher K_d PAR values, with ahigher concentration of dissolved yellow substances, which causedsubstantial differences in the spectral quality that may havecontributed to explain the absence of this ciliate populationin these lakes.     

Microbial diversity of a sulphide spire located in the Edmond deep-sea hydrothermal vent field on the Central Indian Ridge

A culture‐independent molecular phylogenetic survey was carried out for a bacterial and archaeal community of a mineralized crust coating a sulphide spire, which was collected from the Edmond vent field (23° S, 69° E, 3300 m depth) on the Central Indian Ridge. Small‐subunit rRNA genes (16S rDNA) were amplified from environmental DNA by PCR utilizing Bacteria‐specific, and Archaea‐specific 16S rDNA primers. PCR products were cloned and 26 bacterial and nine archaeal unique sequence types (phylotypes) were identified from 150 clones analysed by restriction fragment length polymorphism, representing eight and four distinct lineages, respectively. The majority (>90%) of the bacterial phylotypes group with the ?‐Proteobacteria and confirms the global prevalence of ?‐Proteobacteria in deep‐sea hydrothermal environments. Among the ?‐Proteobacteria, >40% of the phylotypes were closely related to the recently isolated deep‐sea vent thermophilic chemolithoautotrophic sulphur‐reducer, Nautilia lithotrophica. A single bacterial sequence was nearly identical (99% similarity) to the thermophilic hydrogen‐oxidizing Hydrogenobacter thermolithotrophum, and is the first report of Hydrogenobacter at deep‐sea hydrothermal vents. A majority (97%) of the archaeal phylotypes grouped with the ‘Deep‐sea Hydrothermal Vent Euryarchaeotal Group’, a phylogenetic lineage of uncultured Archaea that have only been reported from other deep‐sea hydrothermal vents on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge, East Pacific Rise, Juan de Fuca Ridge, Isu–Ogasawara Arc, Okinawa Trough and the Manus Basin. A single sequence was closely related to the hyperthermophilic sulphur‐reducing Thermococcales frequently found in diverse deep‐sea vent environments. Scanning electron micrographs of the mineralized crust reveal abundant filamentous, rod and coccoidal forms encased in sulphur and sulphide mineral precipitate, suggesting that the thermophilic chemolithoautorophs and sulphide‐producing heterotrophs may influence the architecture and sulphur cycling of the sulphide spire.     

Seasonal shifts in community composition and proteome expression in a sulphur-cycling cyanobacterial mat

Seasonal changes in light and physicochemical conditions have strong impacts on cyanobacteria, but how they affect community structure, metabolism, and biogeochemistry of cyanobacterial mats remains unclear. Light may be particularly influential for cyanobacterial mats exposed to sulphide by altering the balance of oxygenic photosynthesis and sulphide-driven anoxygenic photosynthesis. We studied temporal shifts in irradiance, water chemistry, and community structure and function of microbial mats in the Middle Island Sinkhole (MIS), where anoxic and sulphate-rich groundwater provides habitat for cyanobacteria that conduct both oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthesis. Seasonal changes in light and groundwater chemistry were accompanied by shifts in bacterial community composition, with a succession of dominant cyanobacteria from Phormidium to Planktothrix, and an increase in diatoms, sulphur-oxidizing bacteria, and sulphate-reducing bacteria from summer to autumn. Differential abundance of cyanobacterial light-harvesting proteins likely reflects a physiological response of cyanobacteria to light level. Beggiatoa sulphur oxidation proteins were more abundant in autumn. Correlated abundances of taxa through time suggest interactions between sulphur oxidizers and sulphate reducers, sulphate reducers and heterotrophs, and cyanobacteria and heterotrophs. These results support the conclusion that seasonal change, including light availability, has a strong influence on community composition and biogeochemical cycling of sulphur and O₂ in cyanobacterial mats.     

Sulphur metabolism in Thiorhodaceae I. Quantitative measurements on growing cells ofChromatium okenii

Growth experiments and short term experiments in a stirred cuvette showed thatChromatium okenii strain Ostrau is not able to oxidize any reduced sulphur compounds except sulphide and elementary sulphur; thiosulphate, sulphite, and thioglycolate can not be utilized as reducing agents for photosynthesis. The cells are not able to use H₂; hydrogenase could not be demonstrated. In the dark, sulphide is formed from intracellular sulphur and the carbon content of the cells decreases. Growth and turnover of sulphur compounds was followed in the light in the presence and absence of acetate as a second carbon source. Sulphide oxidation depends on the presence of CO₂ and on light intensity, i.e. sulphur metabolism is governed by the photosynthetic activity of the cells.     

Fitness optimization of Daphnia in a trade-off between food and temperature

In thermally stratified lakes with a deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM), Daphnia face a trade-off between food availability and optimum development temperatures. We hypothesize that Daphnia optimize their fitness by allocating the time spent in the different vertical habitats depending on the distribution of algal resources and the temperature gradient. We used the plankton towers (large indoor mesocosms) to study the vertical distribution of a population of Daphnia hyalina×galeata in three different temperature gradients with a DCM. Additionally, we determined the fitness of Daphnia in the epilimnion and hypolimnion by transferring water from these layers into flow-through systems where we raised Daphnia and assessed their juvenile growth rate as a measure of fitness. The fitness distribution was correlated with the vertical distribution. The vertical distribution most likely reflected the proportions of time Daphnia allocated to dwelling in the two vertical habitats.     

Comparative study of two meromictic basins of Lake Banyoles (Spain) with sulphur phototrophic bacteria

The annual limnological dynamics of two meromictic basins of Lake Banyoles (C-III and C-IV) have been studied and compared on the basis of their physical, chemical and biological characters. Stability values calculated for both basins gave 865 g cm cm⁻² and 495 g cm cm⁻² for C-III and C-IV respectively. These values are in agreement with the fact that C-IV was almost completely mixed during winter. In this basin, during stratification, the monimolimnion increased in thickness as the stability increased. Isolation of the respective monimolimnia resulted in the development of anoxic conditions and the accumulation of sulphide in both C-III and C-IV, which favoured the development of dense populations of sulfur phototrophic bacteria. The purple sulphur bacterium Chromatium minus and the green sulphur bacterium Chlorobium phaeobacteroides were identified as the main components of these photosynthetic populations. The different depths at which the O₂/H₂S boundary was situated in both basins (and consequently the different light intensity reaching this zone) determined the growth of these bacteria. Light intensities at the chemocline of C-IV reached values up to 5% of surface incident light. In contrast, in C-III this variable was sensibly lower, with values depending on season and seldom reaching 1%. Phototrophic bacteria were consequently found earlier in C-IV than in C-III, where no significant concentrations were found until August. Finally stability is discussed as an important factor controlling chemical and biological dynamics in meromictic lakes.     

PHOTOSYNTHESIS-IRRADIANCE RELATIONSHIPS IN PHYTOPLANKTON FROM THE PHYSICALLY STABLE WATER COLUMN OF A PERENNIALLY ICE-COVERED LAKE (LAKE BONNEY,ANTARCTICA)1

The perennially ice-covered lakes of Antarctica have hydrodynamically stable water columns with a number of vertically distinct phytoplankton populations. We examined the photosynthesis-irradiance characteristics of phytoplankton from four depths of Lake Bonney to determine their physiological condition relative to vertical gradients in irradiance and temperature. All populations studied showed evidence of extreme shade adaptation, including low I_k values (15–45 μE · m^?2· s^?1) and extremely low maximal photosynthetic rates (P^B_m less than 0.3 μg C ·μg chl a^?1· h^?1). Photosynthetic rates were controlled by temperature as well as light variations with depth. Lake Bonney has an inverted temperature profile within the trophogenic zone that increased from 0° C at the ice-water interface to 6° C from 10 to 18 m. Deeper phytoplankton (10 m and 17 m) were found to have photosynthetic capacities (P^B_m) and efficiences (α) three to five times higher than those at the ice-water interface. However, Q₁₀ values were only ca. 2 for P^B_m (no temperature dependence was evident for α), suggesting that a simple temperature response cannot explain all the differences between populations. Lake Bonney phytoplankton (primarily cryptophytes and chlorophytes) had photosynthetic characteristics similar to diatoms from other physically stable environments (e.g. sea ice, benthos) and may be ecologically analogous to multiple deep chlorophyll maxima.     

Biogeochemistry of microbial mats under Precambrian environmental conditions: a modelling study

Microbial mats have arguably been the most important ecosystem on Earth over its 3.5 Gyr inhabitation. Mats have persisted as consortia for billions of years and occupy some of Earth's most hostile environments. With rare exceptions (e.g. microbial mats developed on geothermal springs at Yellowstone National Park, USA), today's mats do not exist under conditions analogous to Precambrian habitats with substantially lower oxygen and sulphate concentrations. This study uses a numerical model of a microbial mat to investigate how mat composition in the past might have differed from modern mats. We present a numerical model of mat biogeochemistry that simulates the growth of cyanobacteria (CYA), colourless sulphur bacteria (CSB), and purple sulphur bacteria (PSB), with sulphate‐reducing bacteria (SRB) and heterotrophic bacteria represented by parameterized sulphate reduction rates and heterotrophic consumption rates, respectively. Variations in the availability of light, oxygen, sulphide, and sulphate at the upper boundary of the mat are the driving forces in the model. Mats with remarkably similar biomass and chemical profiles develop in models under oxygen boundary conditions ranging from 2.5 × 10^?13 to 0.25 mm and sulphate boundary concentrations ranging from 0.29 to 29 mm , designed to simulate various environments from Archean to modern. The modelled mats show little sensitivity to oxygen boundary conditions because, independent of the overlying oxygen concentrations, cyanobacterial photosynthesis creates similar O₂ concentrations of 0.45–0.65 mm in the upper reaches of the mat during the photoperiod. Varying sulphate boundary conditions have more effect on the biological composition of the mat. Sulphide generated from sulphate reduction controls the magnitude and distribution of the PSB population, and plays a part in the distribution of CSB. CSB are the most sensitive species to environmental change, varying with oxygen and sulphide.     

Sulphide formation and chemical composition of bottom sediments of some Italian lakes

Studies of sulphate reduction and rates of sulphide formation were made in the bottom sediments of the alpine lakes Lago Maggiore and Lago Lugano. The stock of sulphide sulphur was found to be 500–1500 mg/l. The rate of sulphate reduction was 1–10 mg S/l/day. Total numbers of bacteria in sediments varied from 0,5 to 5.10⁹ cells/cm³ of wet mud. Chemical analyses of the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus were also made. The possible influence of pollution on the sulphur cycle in these lakes is discussed.     

An ecological study of two shallow,equatorial lakes: Lake Mburo and Lake Kachera,Uganda

Lake Mburo and Lake Kachera are shallow, eutrophic lakes in mid‐western Uganda. Lake Mburo recorded higher values of Secchi and eutrophic depths and lower extinction coefficient (k) values. The lakes showed a ‘red shift’ phenomenon in maximum light transmission. The average values of electrical conductivity in Lake Mburo and Lake Kachera were 136 and 244 μS cm^?1, respectively. The pH values indicated high photosynthetic activity. Dissolved oxygen concentration averaged 6.9 and 7.8 mg l^?1 in Lake Mburo and Lake Kachera, respectively. The lakes had high total nitrogen (TN) : total phosphorus (TP) ratios averaging 200 and 280 in Lake Mburo and Lake Kachera, respectively. The lakes are dominated by cyanobacterial blooms that reduce light penetration to less than 1 m. Lake Mburo had a lower algal biomass than Lake Kachera. Chlorophyll a concentrations correlated positively (r = 0.73, P < 0.05) with the extinction coefficient in Lake Mburo but not in Lake Kachera. The correlations between chlorophyll a and TN and TP were also high. Both lakes recorded high primary productivity, Lake Mburo showing higher values. The study highlighted the need to investigate the organism–community interrelationships in the two water bodies.     

Effect of chlorophyll sampling design on water quality assessment in thermally stratified lakes

In order to adequately assess the ecological status of thermally stratified lakes based on chlorophyll, the sampling must cover all productive layers of the water column. Missing the deep chlorophyll maxima (DCM) that often occur in the meta- or hypolimnion of transparent lakes supported by sufficient illumination and good nutrient availability may cause serious underestimation of the productivity and lead to misclassification of the lake ecological status. There is no commonly accepted sampling design for stratified lakes, and various monitoring guides suggest controversial designs. Our aim was to find some robust criteria to assess the probability of occurrence of a DCM and estimate the differences in measured mean chlorophyll concentrations caused by various sampling designs. Our theoretical model showed that the probability of occurrence of a DCM increases with increasing water transparency and decreasing lake size. Empirical data from Italian and Estonian stratified lakes confirmed the results. Testing of different sampling designs on lakes with full measured chlorophyll profiles available showed that taking only surface layer samples will lead with a high probability to an underestimation of the chlorophyll concentration in the trophogenic layer. In order not to miss the Chl peak in stratified lakes, in most cases it would be more precautious not to limit the sampling to the well-mixed epilimnion but to extend it to the whole euphotic layer. Sampling the epilimnion instead of the euphotic zone could cause up to a 70% underestimation of the chlorophyll concentration, an error that would cause a misclassification of the lake by one or even two status classes in a 5-class assessment system. In most cases, the 2.5 * Secchi depths proved a suitable criterion of the sampling depth and only in the case of surface scums, would sampling of a 3 * Secchi depth layer be recommended in order not to miss the deep chlorophyll maximum.     

ANTARCTIC CYANOBACTERIA: LIGHT,NUTRIENTS, AND PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN THE MICROBIAL MAT ENVIRONMENT1

The microenvironmental and photosynthetic characteristics of Antarctic microbial mats were measured in a series of ponds near McMurdo Sound. As elsewhere in Antarctica, these cold-water benthic communities were dominated by oscillatoriacean cyanobacteria. Despite large variations in mat thickness, surface morphology, and color, all of the communities had a similar pigment organization, with a surface carotenoid-rich layer that overlaid a deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) enriched in phycocyanin as well as chlorophyll a. Spectroradiometric analyses showed that the DCM population inhabited an orange-red shade environment. In several of the mats, the deep-living trichomes migrated up to the surface of the mat within 2 h in response to a 10-fold decrease in surface irradiance. The euphotic layer of the mats was supersaturated in oxygen and contained ammonium and dissolved reactive phosphorus concentrations in excess of 100 mg N·m^?3 or P·m^?3. Integral photosynthesis by core samples was saturated at low irradiances and varied two- to threefold throughout the continuous 24-h radiation cycle. Oxygen microelectrode analyses showed that the photosynthetic rates were slow to negligible near the surface and maximal in the DCM. These compressed, nutrient-rich euphotic zones have some properties analogous to planktonic systems, but the integrated photosynthetic responses of the community reflect the strong self-shading within the mat and physiological dominance by the motile, DCM populations.     

Seasonal dynamics of macrophytes and phytoplankton in shallow lakes: a eutrophication‐driven pathway from plants to plankton?

1. Seasonal relationships between macrophyte and phytoplankton populations may alter considerably as lakes undergo eutrophication. Understanding of these changes may be key to the interpretation of ecological processes operating over longer (decadal‐centennial) timescales. 2. We explore the seasonal dynamics of macrophytes (measured twice in June and August) and phytoplankton (measured monthly May–September) populations in 39 shallow lakes (29 in the U.K. and 10 in Denmark) covering broad gradients for nutrients and plant abundance. 3. Three site groups were identified based on macrophyte seasonality; 16 lakes where macrophyte abundance was perennially low and the water generally turbid (‘turbid lakes’); 7 where macrophyte abundance was high in June but low in August (‘crashing’ lakes); and 12 where macrophyte abundance was high in both June and August (‘stable’ lakes). The seasonal behaviour of the crashing and turbid lakes was extremely similar with a consistent increase in nutrient concentrations and chlorophyll‐a over May–September. By contrast in the stable lakes, seasonal changes were dampened with chlorophyll‐a consistently low (<10–15 μg L^?1) over the entire summer. The crashing lakes were dominated by one or a combination of Potamogeton pusillus, Potamogeton pectinatus and Zannichellia palustris, whereas Ceratophyllum demersum and Chara spp. were more abundant in the stable lakes. 4. A long‐term loss of macrophyte species diversity has occurred in many shallow lakes affected by eutrophication. One common pathway is from a species‐rich plant community with charophytes to a species‐poor community dominated by P. pusillus, P. pectinatus and Z. palustris. Such compositional changes may often be accompanied by a substantial reduction in the seasonal duration of plant dominance and a greater tendency for incursions by phytoplankton. We hypothesise a slow‐enacting (10–100 s years) feedback loop in nutrient‐enriched shallow lakes whereby increases in algal abundance are associated with losses of macrophyte species and hence different plant seasonal strategies. In turn such changes may favour increased phytoplankton production thus placing further pressure on remaining macrophytes. This study blurs the distinction between so‐called turbid phytoplankton‐dominated and clear plant‐dominated shallow lakes and suggests that plant loss from them may be a gradual process.     

A case study for late Archean and Proterozoic biogeochemical iron‐ and sulphur cycling in a modern habitat—the Arvadi Spring

As a consequence of Earth's surface oxygenation, ocean geochemistry changed from ferruginous (iron(II)‐rich) into more complex ferro‐euxinic (iron(II)‐sulphide‐rich) conditions during the Paleoproterozoic. This transition must have had profound implications for the Proterozoic microbial community that existed within the ocean water and bottom sediment; in particular, iron‐oxidizing bacteria likely had to compete with emerging sulphur‐metabolizers. However, the nature of their coexistence and interaction remains speculative. Here, we present geochemical and microbiological data from the Arvadi Spring in the eastern Swiss Alps, a modern model habitat for ferro‐euxinic transition zones in late Archean and Proterozoic oceans during high‐oxygen intervals, which enables us to reconstruct the microbial community structure in respective settings for this geological era. The spring water is oxygen‐saturated but still contains relatively elevated concentrations of dissolved iron(II) (17.2 ± 2.8 μM) and sulphide (2.5 ± 0.2 μM) with simultaneously high concentrations of sulphate (8.3 ± 0.04 mM). Solids consisting of quartz, calcite, dolomite and iron(III) oxyhydroxide minerals as well as sulphur‐containing particles, presumably elemental S⁰, cover the spring sediment. Cultivation‐based most probable number counts revealed microaerophilic iron(II)‐oxidizers and sulphide‐oxidizers to represent the largest fraction of iron‐ and sulphur‐metabolizers in the spring, coexisting with less abundant iron(III)‐reducers, sulphate‐reducers and phototrophic and nitrate‐reducing iron(II)‐oxidizers. 16S rRNA gene 454 pyrosequencing showed sulphide‐oxidizing Thiothrix species to be the dominating genus, supporting the results from our cultivation‐based assessment. Collectively, our results suggest that anaerobic and microaerophilic iron‐ and sulphur‐metabolizers could have coexisted in oxygenated ferro‐sulphidic transition zones of late Archean and Proterozoic oceans, where they would have sustained continuous cycling of iron and sulphur compounds.